Stepladder brace



F".- J. LE BEAU STEPLADDER BRACE June 9? 1925.

Filed Feb. 18. 1924 LLL. 07.'

M67 .pl-gall Patented June 9, 1925.

PATENT orifice.

FERNANBO J. LE BE, OF NUBES CENTER, ILLINOS, ASSIGNOB OE" ONE-THIRD lT0i ERICK BLAINE THEL-N AND ONE-THIRD T TTUS L. THELN, BOTH OF CHICAGO,

ILLNOS.

` sfrnrnannna Banen.

Application filed February 18, 1924. Serial N'o. 693,465.

To ZZ whom t may concern: A

Be it known that I, FERNANDO J. LE BEAU, acitizen of the United States,residing at Niles Center, in the county of Cook and State ot' illinois,have invented a certain new and useful improvement in Stepladderrlraces, of which the following is a specification.

This inrentidn relates to metallic stepladders, and particularlyv thediagonal brace member against which the ladder proper rests and issupported when the ladder is extended for use.

rlhe object of the invention is to provide a novel means for connectingthe two separate spaced uprights ordinarily constituting the bracemember referred to in such a manner that the complete brace will be verystrong and rigid yet light and therefore inexpensive in construction.

The invention consists in means for attaining the foregoing Vand otherobjects; which can be easily and cheaply made; which is satisfactory inuse and not readily liable to get out ot order; and in special 'featuresand details which will bc hereafter more fully set forth in thespecification and claims.

Referring te the drawings in which like numerals designate the sameparts'throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, a certain part of the brace being brokenaway, illustrating this invention in its preferred form.

Figure 2 is a side view, taken from the right of Figure. 1, showingparticularly the brace of this invention.

Figure 3 is a detail plan view taken on the irregular line 3 3 of Figure1.

Figure is a pcrsljiective view showing the connection el the crossmember to one upi right of the brace and illustrating this invention indetail.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view of the connection of a cross-memberto the brace upright which appears in the right hand half of Figure 1and just'below the line 3.

The metal ladder to which this invention is applied as shown in thedrawings consists of a conventional ladder upright 10, having steps 12and carrying at its top parallel horizontal cross-members 1l to each oiwhich is pivoted at 16 a generally vertical brace member 18, preferablybut not necessarily attached by collapsible link mechanism 20 to theopposite portion of the ladder proper 10 oi the device.

The problenrselved by this invention is to rightly connect the twoseparated brace legs or rails 18 at a point intermediate the hinge 16and the ground 22 so that the complete brace mechanism will operate as asingle unit swinging about the aligned hinge pivots 16.

In the preferred form of construction, the desired result is attained bymaking the upright brace members 18 of the same style ofl Z bar soplaced that flanges 24 thereof project toward each other and lie in thesame inclined plane across the ladder, while the oppositely projectingflanges .26 thereof lie in a common plane parallel to the plane of theflanges 241 and by providing a crossbar of exactly the same Z-shapedcrosssection as the uprights 18 placed as shown in the drawings witheach of its ends 32 resting against the web of an adjacent upright brace18, while its flange 24 rests against and is preferably welded orriveted to the corresponding fiange 24 of the upright. rlhisconstruction and assemblage of parts so locates the flange 26a of thecross-meinber 30 that a solid cross-bar 34 may be passed inside saidflange 26a and outside the flange 26 of the uprights 18, the end portion34 of the bar which touches the flanges 26 being riveted or weldedthereto.

The result of this construction is that in making a ladder ot this kind`it is only necessary to keep in stock one size of Z-bar to produce bracemechanisms it- 30, thereby doing away with the expense and annoyance oiZstocking up with two different 'forms ot' metal members to be used inmaking this brace mechanism. Wholly apart from this convenience, the twoZ-bars, one vertical and one horizontal, fit together and co-operatebetter with less cutting and forming than any other shapes which areavailable on the market. By actual experience, the constructiondescribed materially reduces the cost of this brace device.

Both Z-ba-rs have narrow border flanges 40 which in the case of bar 30are more or less important in retaining the parts in the position of`Fig. 5.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and. desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a device of the class described, a brace mechanism including tivoupright Z-niembers having flanges turned toward each other lying in acommon plane, and two other flanges turned away from each a Z-barcross-connection. between. the uprights having its ends abutting theWebs of the uprights and one flange resting upon und secured to thefirst mentioned flanges of the uprights anda bar under the second flangeof the cross-member and over the second flangesV of the uprights rigidlysecured thereto, for lthe Ipurposes set forth.

2. A ladder Construction comprising side bars of sheet metal bent intolsubstantially Z-f'orm, each arranged to provide ann- Wardly extendingflange at one edge and an outwardly extending flange at the other edge;and cross membersbetween said bars, each of said cross members beingVformed of I sheet metal bent into substantially Zf'orn'i, other, lyingin a different comino-n plane;v

one leg of said cross member being secured to said inwardly extendingflanges and the other leg being pro-vided with a reinforcing barextending laterally and secured to the outwardly extending flanges onthe side bars; substantially as described.

In Witness whereof, .l have hereunto subscribed my name.

Funinnvno J. Ln. BEAU.

